Couldn’t agree with you more especially the first paragraph. As for the second paragraph, the derivative market is where I generate a good portion of alpha in my portfolio. Trading in the derivative market requires a lot of practice. It is nearly impossible to master that art by just reading books and understanding the underlying math. No one will ever time the market perfectly on every single occasion. Anyone who speaks in absolute terms about the stock market, fed, etc is probably talking out of their ass or has a time machine.